Tainted Gems
by heavenlyfrantic
Summary: Apocalyptic Gem AU. Diamond authority let loose corrupted gems, Steven is missing, everyone is trying to survive.


"They were running for miles, faster than they had ever ran before. The first time was a warning, a truce broken, but this second meeting was unpredictable."

* * *

"Jasper, if you fucking die..." Peridot grumbled as she frantically ripped pieces of cloth from a spare shirt to stop the orifices from getting infected. She was mostly worrying for nothing, even with a cracked gem they were able to heal with ease but not fast as they used to. The holes would stay for a while and she didn't want to risk it.

Lapis had pinned Jasper's arms, despite her size she had impeccable strength and was able to hold Jasper down for quite a while. Her face was expressionless as her body shook along with the struggle of the gem beneath her.

The group had taken refuge in an abandoned shack and Peridot had already taken out the bullets, some of which no doubt had been logged almost right through the members; two in the shoulder and two in the stomach. The roars of pain and constant jerks and kicks weren't helping in the slightest, unthinkable at how possible it was for Jasper to even be moving her condition.

Jasper's big mouth had gotten them into loads of trouble before, but never like this even though it was bound to happen by her boorish and brute behavior that never went unnoticed. She never knew when to shut up, giving away private information and plans, even if it was unknowingly. Ticking people off was her specialty, sometimes not an ounce of sentiment for humans or even gems alike. But in this society nowadays people showed no mercy, no one played games, everyone was out to stay alive or die trying. And for once you had gems and humans working together for the better.

The invasion of tainted had happened only five years ago, an invasion of corrupted, mutated and broken gems that had been revived by diamond authority who were long gone,but not to their full extent. They came in different shapes, sizes and ranks and were still roaming. Stores and factories had been wiped clean, even dumpsters were pristine. Only a few warp pads remained intact and streets were usually barren with rusted down cars and jungles of weeds and other plants, unless taken by the unforeseen number of clans that had started their rise in the first year of breakout. They usually took the big roads as mandatory "pit stops" or you didn't leave at all. Clans weren't ever the problem for the group of gems, it was the hoard of clusters and brawns that roamed the countryside and took a liking to gems more than humans. Not only that but the unlucky grudges that had been pushed upon them after a raid in one of the cities.

"Lapis where's the morphine?" Peridot whispered while she finished wrapping the cloth around the wounds.

Lapis switched to her knees to pin down Jasper's arms while she riddled through her tote bag and threw a morphine cap at Peridot "Last one." she whispered back, her voice hoarse and tired.

Peridot huffed, knowing that it was rare to find morphine caps rather than injections, they were usually more effective. She didn't understand how humans could survive without it once she learned that it basically dulled and fought pain within the body. She didn't know how humans survived, period. Either way for gems, it acted as a stimulant and lowered the amount of time needed to heal. They had found some a while back in an abandoned trailer and had already ran through them up to now, and Jasper was the only one to use them. She plunged the cap down Jasper's throat who swallowed it with content.

Peridot and Lapis sat in silence as they watched Jaspers ragged breaths draw out. Their faces were masked by both fatigue and resent, neither wanting to be heard by any tainted or anyone else who could happen to pass by. Once Jaspers breathing started to pan out Lapis contained to a corner before resting her head on her knees, a normal exercise she did to calm herself.

Peridot stood up and stretched before taking off her helmet and shades, wiping the excess sweat and dirt from her forehead with a disgusted face. Residing to another corner of the shack she looked out of a small crack in the wall, thoroughly shifting from side to side panning out the open area. In the distance was a hoard who had probably heard the gunshots from before and was heading north towards the other gems.

After a few more minutes of surveillance Peridot noticeably relaxed and turned to the others "They didn't follow us."

Lapis glared from beneath her bangs "They'd be smart not to."

Jasper sat up from her position, fully stimulated and hair packed with hay. "What you think you could have took them on? We're in the middle of nowhere if you have haven't noticed." she gave a huge grin

"One, that was fast. And two,I don't need water to fight." Lapis scoffed before moving positions behind Jasper and picking out the strays in her hair. "Besides none of that would have happened if you weren't such an asshole, Peridot."

Peridot eyes widened beyond belief "Me?! Jasper practically knocked Pearl's gem off!" in a split second Peridot was hovering the other two, face boiling and nose scrunched up.

Jasper laughed resonated throughout the small shack but quickly stopped with a kick to the stomach, surging pain from the wound through her entire body. She glared up at Peridot who had instantly become smug "Lapis is right, if you'd have just done the trade off correctly."

Lapis sighed as she finished brushing the rest of the debris from Jaspers mane "To be honest I wasn't up for the trade either. What if it is him?"

Peridot made a sound of disapproval and rolled her eyes. She took out a gem from her bag and inspected it. There was a crack down the center but it wasn't deep enough to cause concern but the band around it was rusted to the point of erosion. The tint was a dark a magenta but holding it up to the light emitted a coral hue. They had looked at it more times than they can count, contemplating the possibilities, but they could never convince themselves otherwise. Sighing heavily Peridot sat next to the other two and held up the gem again "We're not even sure if this _is_ Steven."


End file.
